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1 Corinthians 4 Amplified Bible
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"><title>1 Corinthians 4 Amplified Bible</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/1_corinthians/4.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="../topmenuchap/1_corinthians/4-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="http://biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="../">AMP</a> > 1 Corinthians 4</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="../menu.htm" width="100%" height="48" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../1_corinthians/3.htm" title="1 Corinthians 3">◄</a> 1 Corinthians 4 <a href="../1_corinthians/5.htm" title="1 Corinthians 5">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top">Amplified Bible</td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/p/nas/esv/1_corinthians/4.shtml" style="color:#001320" title="Parallel Verses"> Par ▾ </a></tr></table></div><p class="hdg">Servants of Christ</p><p><span class="reftext"><a href="/1_corinthians/4-1.htm"><b>1</b></a></span>So then, let us [who minister] be regarded as servants of Christ and stewards (trustees, administrators) of the mysteries of God [that He chooses to reveal]. <span class="reftext"><a href="/1_corinthians/4-2.htm"><b>2</b></a></span>In this case, moreover, it is required [as essential and demanded] of stewards that one be found faithful <i>and</i> trustworthy. <span class="reftext"><a href="/1_corinthians/4-3.htm"><b>3</b></a></span>But [as for me personally] it matters very little to me that I may be judged by you or <i>any</i> human court [on this point]; in fact, I do not even judge myself. <span class="reftext"><a href="/1_corinthians/4-4.htm"><b>4</b></a></span>I am aware of nothing against myself <i>and</i> I feel blameless, but I am not by this acquitted [before God]. It is the Lord who judges me. <span class="reftext"><a href="/1_corinthians/4-5.htm"><b>5</b></a></span>So do not go on passing judgment before the appointed time, <i>but wait</i> until the Lord comes, for He will both bring to light the [secret] things that are hidden in darkness and disclose the motives of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God. <p class="paragraph"><span class="reftext"><a href="/1_corinthians/4-6.htm"><b>6</b></a></span>Now I have applied these things [that is, the analogies about factions] to myself and Apollos for your benefit, believers, so that you may learn from us not to go beyond what is written [in Scripture], so that none of you will become arrogant <i>and</i> boast in favor of one [minister or teacher] against the other. <span class="reftext"><a href="/1_corinthians/4-7.htm"><b>7</b></a></span>For who regards you as superior <i>or</i> what sets you apart as special? What do you have that you did not receive [from another]? And if in fact you received it [from God or someone else], why do you boast as if you had not received it [but had gained it by yourself]? <p class="paragraph"><span class="reftext"><a href="/1_corinthians/4-8.htm"><b>8</b></a></span>[You behave as if] you are already filled [with spiritual wisdom and in need of nothing more]. Already you have become rich [in spiritual gifts]! You [in your conceit] have ascended your thrones <i>and</i> become kings without us; and how I wish [that it were true and] that you did reign as kings, so that we might reign with you. <span class="reftext"><a href="/1_corinthians/4-9.htm"><b>9</b></a></span>For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles at the end of the line, like men sentenced to death [and paraded as prisoners in a procession], because we have become a spectacle to the world [a show in the world’s amphitheater], both to angels and to men. <span class="reftext"><a href="/1_corinthians/4-10.htm"><b>10</b></a></span>We are [regarded as] fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong; you are highly esteemed, but we are dishonored. <span class="reftext"><a href="/1_corinthians/4-11.htm"><b>11</b></a></span>To this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty; we are <i>continually</i> poorly dressed, and we are roughly treated, and wander homeless. <span class="reftext"><a href="/1_corinthians/4-12.htm"><b>12</b></a></span>We work [for our living], working <i>hard</i> with our own hands. When we are reviled <i>and</i> verbally abused, we bless. When we are persecuted, we take it patiently <i>and</i> endure. <span class="reftext"><a href="/1_corinthians/4-13.htm"><b>13</b></a></span>When we are slandered, we <i>try to be</i> conciliatory <i>and</i> answer softly. We have become like the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even until now. <p class="paragraph"><span class="reftext"><a href="/1_corinthians/4-14.htm"><b>14</b></a></span>I do not write these things to shame you, but to warn <i>and</i> advise you as my beloved children. <span class="reftext"><a href="/1_corinthians/4-15.htm"><b>15</b></a></span>For even if you were to have ten thousand teachers [to guide you] in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers [who led you to Christ and assumed responsibility for you], for I became your father in Christ Jesus through the good news [of salvation]. <span class="reftext"><a href="/1_corinthians/4-16.htm"><b>16</b></a></span>So I urge you, be imitators of me [just as a child imitates his father]. <span class="reftext"><a href="/1_corinthians/4-17.htm"><b>17</b></a></span>For this reason I have sent Timothy to you, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, and he will remind you of my way of life in Christ [my conduct and my precepts for godly living], just as I teach everywhere in every church. <span class="reftext"><a href="/1_corinthians/4-18.htm"><b>18</b></a></span>Now some of you have become arrogant <i>and</i> pretentious, as though I were not coming to see you. <span class="reftext"><a href="/1_corinthians/4-19.htm"><b>19</b></a></span>But I will come to you soon, if the Lord is willing, and I will find out not just the talk of these arrogant people, but [evaluate] their [spiritual] power [whether they live up to their own claims]. <span class="reftext"><a href="/1_corinthians/4-20.htm"><b>20</b></a></span>For the kingdom of God is not based on talk but on power. <span class="reftext"><a href="/1_corinthians/4-21.htm"><b>21</b></a></span>Which do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a rod [of discipline and correction], or with love and a gentle spirit?<A name="fn"></a></p><br /><br /></div><br /><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center">Amplified Bible Copyright © 2015<br>by The Lockman Foundation<br>All rights reserved <a href="http://www.lockman.org">www.lockman.org</a><br><br><a href="/">Bible Hub</a><br> <span class="p"><br /><br /></span></div></div></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="../1_corinthians/3.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="1 Corinthians 3"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="1 Corinthians 3" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="../1_corinthians/5.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="1 Corinthians 5"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="1 Corinthians 5" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhchapnoad.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>